Saturday, February 28, 2015

The last moments of 21 year old Deshawnda Sanchez's all too brief life were engaged in a frantic early morning search for help in the Chesterfield Square neighborhood before she was gunned down December 3.

One break was that a neighbor's security camera caught the perp getting out of a car, running toward the porch, and running back moments later to get in the car before it makes a high speed departure.

Spells, who according to an LA Times report has been convicted of various offenses, including robbery,
being a felon with a firearm and possession of a controlled substance, was picked up Wednesday on a parole violation by US marshals at a relative's home.

LAPD Det. Chris Barling said Spells knew Sanchez but declined to discuss the nature of their relationship. It
is unclear whether Sanchez was targeted because of her gender identity,
but it is believed to be a contributing factor in the attack.

“In this case, it is not clear-cut,” Barling said. “I think hate was used by Mr. Spells in killing Deshawnda.”

While it is unclear whether prosecutors will try to prosecute this case as a hate crime, what is clear is that Spells is not only facing a criminal count of murder in Sanchez's death, he is also expected to be
charged with human trafficking over allegations he sexually assaulted an
11 year old girl and forced her into prostitution in a separate case.

Ever since C-279 passed with support of all the major Canadian political parties in the House of Commons in March 2013, trans people in the Great White North were cautiously optimistic that they would finally reach their political Holy Grail of having federal human rights protection.

C-279 simply amends the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Canadian Criminal Code to add gender identity as a protected class, and our Canadian trans cousins had good reason to be optimistic.

Since 2012, six provinces have followed the Northwest Territories 2004 lead and passed human rights protection for their trans citizens. Ontario, Manitoba and Nova Scotia all did so that year, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador followed in 2013, and Saskatchewan in 2014

But one of the notable House of Common NO votes back in 2013 was Prime Minister Stephen Harper, with now Liberal leader Justin Trudeau not voting on it at all.

That's probably one of the reasons why the Conservative Party when it got to the Senate that they dominated, started acting like their south of the border Republican cousins and fracking with C-279 by bringing up the discredited bathroom predator lie.

It also didn't help that the TERF's Canadian Division, AKA the REAL Women of Canada also started sticking their transphobic noses in the Conservative effort to halt passage of C-279.

C-279 still continued to advance, passing first and second reading stage votes and getting successfully voted out of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights on June 10, 2013 chaired by Liberal Sen. Mobina Jaffer.

But on the cusp of a major human rights victory, the Conservatives went into full trans oppressor mode during the third reading stage that occurred just before the Canadian Senate went into its summer 2013 recess. What was more disgusting that it was lesbian Tory Senator Nancy Ruth leading the charge.

After the Conservative senate leadership ran out the clock and refused to call for that Third Reading vote, that was followed by Prime Minister Harper proroguing parliament in September, which forced C-279 to start from scratch in the Senate legislative process because it was a private member's bill.

Other more ominous signs were Sen Jaffer expressing her concerns during that summer 2013 recess the bill wouldn't pass, and Liberal Senator Grant Mitchell stating what was blatantly obvious to the TransGriot, our trans cousins and the world by calling out the Conservatives for stalling C-279.

When the Senate returned for business after Thanksgiving in October, instead of C-279 going through Sen Jaffer's committee, it was sent after passing another Second Reading vote to the Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs chaired by Conservative senator Bob Rumciman.

It also has transphobic Tory senator and longtime C-279 hater Neil Plett as a member.

Fortunately Sen. Jaffer is a member of that committee along with Senator Mitchell, but they were outnumbered On Thursday the Conservative dominated committee passed Plett introduced amendments by a 6-4 margin to exempt C-279 from applying to public spaces including bathrooms and locker rooms.

The negative reaction to that from Canadian trans people and our allies was swift.

The federal NDP released a statement criticizing what they characterize as the Senate’s attempt to block the bill from passing. “The Senate’s attempt to obstruct this bill that would finally give transgender Canadians the protection and equal status they deserve is reprehensible,” said Randall Garrison, the NDP's LGBT critic and sponsor of C-279, in the statement.

“Human rights are not conditional,” said Helen Kennedy of Egale Canada Human Rights Trust. “The human rights of transgender people must be protected in all spaces including public bathrooms and locker rooms. The amendment to Bill C-279 fuels discrimination against transgender individuals by making it seem like people have something to fear by sharing a bathroom with a transgender person, which of course they don’t.”

“As a transgender person I have been waiting a long time for federal human rights protections,” said Amanda Ryan of Gender Mosaic. “Bathrooms are dangerous for me. I fear what people will do to me if they realize I am transgender. Bill C-279 was meant to protect me from hate crimes, but in amending it, the Senate is putting me at risk. It will force me to use the men’s bathroom, and a transgender woman in the men’s room is a recipe for violence.”

“We appealed to all Senators to support Bill C-279 without any amendments,” said Alex Neve, Secretary-General of Amnesty International Canada. “The original Bill is what was needed. If Senators passed the bill in Committee with no amendments, we would be well on our way to having life-saving human rights protections in place in a matter of weeks.”

“We believe that vulnerable minorities are entitled to basic human rights and should have the full protection of the law; this Bill as amended falls short of providing that protection,” said Richard Marceau of The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.

C-279 is headed toward a third reading vote, and if it passes third reading with the amendments voted down, it would go to Canadian Governor general David Johnston for Royal Assent to become Canadian law.

But if it passes with the amendments, it has to go back to the House of Commons, and with a Canadian federal election looming on October 19, it's highly unlikely it would pass the Conservative dominate chamber before parliament is dissolved.

And it's sad that it has come to this for a sorely needed human rights bill.

But the C-279 fight just reinforces what I have been saying for months in our below the 49th Parallel trans human rights struggle. Thee most dangerous bigot is the one with the power to pass legislation.

You also can't get progressive laws passed out of a conservative legislative body.

The unjust bill then went before the full Kentucky Senate with three Republican senators Jared Carpenter of Berea, John Schickel of
Union and Julie Raque Adams of Louisville being drum majors and a drum majorette for justice and voting against the bill.

Six Democrats, Julian Carroll of Frankfort, Perry Clark of
Louisville, Denise Harper Angel of Louisville, Morgan McGarvey of
Louisville, Gerald Neal of Louisville and Reginald Thomas of Lexington also voted against the bill.

So Kentucky trans peeps, these are the Senate peeps you thank for standing up for your human rights.

Chris Hartman, director of the Fairness Campaign, said in a statement the "Bathroom Bully Bill" as they call SB 76, lacks legal muster and will increase
bullying in schools.

"What an embarrassment the Kentucky Senate has made of our commonwealth," Hartman said

But I need to remind you TransGriot readers the Kentucky General Assembly has split legislative control, with the Democrats holding the Kentucky House (thank God) by a 54-46 margin.

And with only ten days left in this legislative session, House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, indicated that the unjust measure won't win House approval.

"The Democratic-led House can better spend the remainder of the legislative session working on other bills," Stumbo said.

Translation: SB 76 is about to get parked in a House Committee where it won't see the light of day, much less the House floor. And in case you're wondering Kentucky's governor is Steve Beshear (D)

Friday, February 27, 2015

It's the day that all the trail rides that have been snaking their way toward Houston on horseback for the last two weeks for the rodeo parade starting tomorrow finally make it to town and their final campout at Memorial Park.

The longest of those trail rides (and the only international one) is the Los Vaqueros Rio Grande Trail Ride, which started February 5 and is a 386 mile ride starting in Reynosa, Mexico. One of the African-American ones is the Prairie View Trail Ride, which started in 1957 and makes an 87 mile ride to Houston.

The parade is just one of the eagerly anticipated the kickoff event for the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which lasts for three weeks from March 3-22 The World Championship Barbecue Cookoff started yesterday and runs through this weekend

Since I haven't been to the rodeo since they held it in the Dome and I stopped working for the concessions company in 1986, may have to consider doing it this year.

It's also going to be a bittersweet one for Selena fans because yesterday was the twentieth anniversary of her last concert performance which happened at the rodeo, and she shattered the attendance record she'd set the year before..

Since it's Go Texan Day, let's do our usual Shut Up Fool 'bidness' Texas style. Time to round up and call out all the varmints that are all hat and no cattle, or just plain mind numbingly stupid.

Honorable mention number one is the delicious schadenfreude of seeing Ashlee Evans-Smth, one of Fallon Fox's loud and wrong transphobic critics, getting busted and suspended nine months for failing a post WMMA match drug test she lost

Karma is not only a you know what Ashlee, it wears a dress and stiletto heels.

Honorable mention number two is 2015 SUF Lifetime Achievement Award winner and hate pastor James David Manning. He's bucking for 2015 SUF Of The Year honors with this latest blast of Harlem based hate by parting his big lips to unleash the f-word that rhymes with maggot.

Honorable mention number three is a group award to everyone who takes the stage at the Cirque de GOP, er CPAC conservafool confab in National Harbor, MD.

Honorable mention number four is Ron Paul, who let his white sheet show again when he said the the Congressional Black Caucus doesn't support war because they want that money for food stamps.

Naw you racist azzhole, the CBC doesn't support war because far too many of our peeps will disproportionately be dying in it while the privileged kids and conservafools like you sit on the sidelines and berate everyone who questions why we're sending our troops into combat and why.

Honorable mention number five goes to former Fashion Police host Guiliana Rancic, who let the casual racism fly when she made derogatory comments about the locs that Disney teen star Zendaya Coleman was rocking on the Oscars red carpet Sunday, then tried to make a half-assed non-apology about it that wasn't enough to save her job. The comments also got her put on blast by Zendaya and my homegirl Danielle Moodie Mills.just for starters.

Honorable mention number six goes to Italian gymnast Carlotta Ferlito, who proves that anti-Black attitudes and racism aren't just an American thang when she let loose during an interview in the wake of Simone Biles' historic win as the sports first ever African-American world champion this foul comment:

'I told Vanny (Ferrari) that next time we should also paint our skin black, so then we could win too.'

Naw, maybe your fifth place finishing azz needs to hit the practice gym a little harder next time and then you might have a shot at winning a medal.

Good luck in the Rio Olympic Games next year. (sarcasm meter on maximum) I'm sure you'll probably be running into Simone again.

Honorable mention number seven ix goes to Texas state Rep. Debbie Riddle (Teaggger-The Woodlands) who is peddling a particularly odious brand of trans hate in my home state with the unjust HB 1748 that would not only criminalize me and other trans Texans bathroom trips, it also makes it a felony for businesses to allow us to do so.

Let's see how fast this one dies after the business community starts screaming about the possibility that if this bill passes, we'll never get another Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, corporate relocation or major convention in this state again.

Honorable mention number eight is a group award for Texas Gov Greg Abbott (R), Lt Governor Dan Patrick (R) and all their fellow homohaters for prematurely celebrating the 10th anniversary of the passage of our unjust same sex marriage ban by cutting a cake

I say prematurely because that anniversary is not until November 2, and the SCOTUS will have something to say about whether this amendment lives until then.

And yeah, peep what Texas state Rep Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) had to say about it from the floor of the Texas House ten years ago.

Honorable mention number nine is Nevada Assemblywoman Michelle Fiore (R) who is living up to every stereotype about blondes by parting her lips to say that cancer is a fungus that simply needs to be washed out.

Seriously? And you run a healthcare company? This is a prime example peeps of the quality of legislator you get when you sit your liberal-progressive asses at home on Election Day

This week's Shut Up Fool winner is Michigan pediatrician Dr. Vesna Roi, who thinks her religious beliefs trump the Hippocratic Oath she took as a physician

BREACHED:American Medical Association Principle of Medical Ethics I. A physician shall be dedicated to providing competent medical care, with compassion and respect for human dignity and rights.BREACHED:American Medical Association Principle of Medical Ethics X. A physician shall support access to medical care for all people.

That it not what you exhibited in this case. And Dr. Roi, you graduated from Michigan State University to get your medical education, which by the way is an institution supported by the tax dollars of gay and straight Michigan residents.

You can point to the loophole in the American Medical Association ethics that states physicians cannot refuse to care
for patients based on sexual orientation, but doctors can refuse
treatment if it's incompatible with their personal, religious or moral
beliefs all day long, but.when you are advertising that you are accepting new patients, you need to treat EVERY patient that respectfully walks through your door for your medical expertise.

Some of those patients will be LGBT people.

And no letter or weasel worded interpretation of AMA ethics can wash away the fact Dr. Roi that you are a homophobe and an oppressor, and I sincerely question what God you actually serve. Because the one I worship hates bigotry, discrimination and oppression.

This is is the idiocy and dehumanizing discrimination that consevrafool 'right to discriminate' laws seeks to implement around the country, Hell no do I and other reality based Americans wish to see nouveau Jim Cow bullshit and oppression desecrate this country again.

Was saddened to hear that actor -director Leonard Nimoy, who any Trekkie can tell you played the iconic role of Spock on Star Trek died this morning at age 83 from complications resulting from COPD.

In addition to playing the iconic character and a long list of roles over his career, he directed Star Trek III: The Search For Spock , Star Trek IV : The Voyage Home and Three Men and A Baby, and lent his voice to narrating the Ancient Mysteries TV series for its entire 1994-98 run

One of the sobriquets that was hurled at me that my tormentors quickly dropped was calling me Mr. Spock. I embraced that like a badge of honor..

And Nimoy's half human-half Vulcan character struck a chord with biracial kids, when in 1968 a young mixed race female fan who identified herself as F.C. penned a letter expressing her frustrations about it.

Here's the money paragraph in what Nimoy had to say to her in his lengthy response letter in which he explained how Spock dealt with a similar situation in his childhood.

"He said to himself: 'Not everyone will like me. But there will be those
who will accept me just for what I am. I will develop myself to such a
point of excellence, intelligence and brilliance that I can see through
any problem and deal with any crisis. I will become such a master of my
own abilities and career that there will be a place for me. People of
all races will need me and not be able to do without me.' And that's
just what he did. And when I see him standing there on the bridge of the
Enterprise, facing danger and life-and-death problems so cooly and with
so much intelligence, I'm sure he made the right decision."

I hope F.C took that advice to heart, lived long and prospered

You've lived long and prospered Mr. Nimoy and left a gigantic footprint
not only in television history but also our imaginations. Because of your iconic character, you inspired
kids of all ethnic backgrounds to look toward the heavens and imagine careers in the science and technology fields.

Well peeps, one of my fave events is rapidly approaching, and not just because it's in my Texas stomping grounds.

It happens to fall very close to my Cuatro de Mayo birthday.

It's the 2015 edition of the Black Trans Advocacy Conference in Dallas from April 27-May 3 at the Doubletree Campbell Center, and it's bigger and badder than ever.

In addition to the informative seminars, Family Fun Day, the Mr. and Ms. BTPS pageant and the Black Diamond Ball and Awards Gala, the keynote speakers this year will be Miss Major Griffin-Gracy and Tiq Milan.

For those of you taking Megabus to Dallas, the DART downtown transit center on E/ Olive St. is where the Megabus drop off/pickup stop is located, and it's a short two block walk from the St/ Paul and the Pearl /Arts District stations.

So now that I've broken down how you can get to the hotel from DFW and the Dallas downtown Megabus terminal, hope to see some of you peeps in he Lone Star State for the Black Trans Advocacy Conference and my early birthday celebration.

Here it is as promised, the fifth annual TransGriot Black Trans History quiz. As with the four previous editions of it, it is an open internet test, and I'll give y'all the weekend to peruse it and actually try to answer the questions that are a mix of historical, and current events stuff before I post the answers.

Good luck and time to get your Black trans history learn on.

1. This organization founded by Kylar Broadus is celebrating its 5th anniversary this year. Name it.

2. The Dewey's Lunch Counter Sit-In and Protest took place in what city 50 years ago?

3. Which one of these gospel groups was Wilmer Broadnax NOT a part of?

4. What is the name of the show in which Laverne Cox will play an Ivy league educated attorney?

5. True or False. A transwoman has appeared as a JET Beauty of the Week Centerfold.

6. Angelica Ross founded this Chicago based organization to provide job training for trans people. Name the organization.

7. Model Ines Rau because the first person since Caroline Cossey to do this in May 2014. What was it?

8.True or False Janet Mock has an MSNBC show entitled So POPular.

9. This activist scored a groundbreaking legal win for herself and trans people in her nation Name her and the nation.

10. This now annual award event was conceived and created by this trans woman. Name it.

11. What do Dee Chamblee, Tracee McDaniel, Toni-Michelle Williams and Cheryl Courtney-Evans have in common besides the obvious fact they are African-American trans women?

12. True or False. Rev Louis Mitchell was part of Dr Kortney Ziegler's groundbreaking documentary Still Black: A portrait of Black Transmen.

13. Trans advocate Ashily Dior is from what Caribbean nation?

14. What do Jonathan Thunderword, Yeshua Holiday and Lawrence Richardson all have in common besides being trans men?

15. Who said this quote? As long
as there continues to be these petty folk, playing at activism while
still harboring their superior attitudes toward the transgender
community, we won't have the hard honest conversations and we'll NEVER
have complete unity in the so-called "community".

16. True or False. Valerie Spencer was Kerry Washington's trans advisor when she played Marybeth in the movie Life Is Hot In Cracktown.

17. Last year Tona Brown because the first African-American transwoman to have a concert at this historic music venue/ Name it and the city it is located in.

18. What award will the TransGriot be receiving this October?

19. Who said this? Those
irrelevant articles TERFs tend to write give those of us on the right
side of history something to point at and say, "Now, look at the utter
ridiculousness of what they are saying. Go ask those in the medical
communities who actually study transgender bodies on a day to day basis
the reality of trans women's bodies. Go ask the psychologist who
actually work with transgender women on a day to day basis. They will
disagree with these insane statements."

When
you are a person of privilege, it can be hard to imagine that the
playing field isn’t leveled; but when you are a woman, or a person of
color, or a transgender person, or a person from a lower socioeconomic
bracket, you are familiar with the ways in which having privilege colors
your reality. - See more at:
http://thesaltcollective.org/6-things-people-with-privilege-never-have-to-worry-about/#sthash.3gYGfu2s.dpuf

When
you are a person of privilege, it can be hard to imagine that the
playing field isn’t leveled; but when you are a woman, or a person of
color, or a transgender person, or a person from a lower socioeconomic
bracket, you are familiar with the ways in which having privilege colors
your reality. - See more at:
http://thesaltcollective.org/6-things-people-with-privilege-never-have-to-worry-about/#sthash.3gYGfu2s.dpuf

20. Which city did trans masculine leader Alexander John Goodrum NOT live in?a. Chicagob. San Franciscoc. New Yorkd. Tucson

21.In what year was the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition, the first multicultural national trans organization founded?

22. What was the title of Sharon Davis' autobiography?

23. True or False. Isis King's appearance in the movie Hello Forever was her first ever movie role?

24. This event is going to happen in the near future for Myles Brady and Precious Davis. What is it?

25. Lady Java was photographed picketing Rule Number 9 outside the LA club owned by this legendary comedian?

You'll recall I wrote about the bigotry eruption that occurred at the recent February 13 Flower Mound-Plano East boys basketball game that got deserved national attention and condemnation.

Now longtime WFAA-TV sportscaster Dale Hansen has added his voice to those condemning what happened in that town. You'll remember Hansen on these electronic pages for his commentary in support of NFL draftee Michael Sam.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Today is the third anniversary of the death of Trayvon Martin at the hands of George Zimmerman.

February 5 would have been his 20th birthday, and I would hazard a guess that today is just as hard on his parents as his birth date is. It's even harder when less than a day ago the Department of Justice announced that they wouldn't be pressing charges against Zimmerman for Trayvon's murder.

Zimmerman may have gotten away with murder, but for all intents and purposes he's earned a life sentence in which he'll have to constantly look over his shoulder to see if someone's going to do unto him what he did to Trayvon.

Back on February 20 I was in a discussion with another activist about the number of people we have lost to anti trans violence. When she started listing the number of people who have died so far this year, she included someone who died because of a fatal silicone pumping incident.

That started a debate between the both of us in regards to whether people who die from silicone pumping should be recognized at a TDOR event.

I argued NO, and here are my reasons why..

The reason the TDOR was founded by Gwen Smith in the first place back in 1999 was because we had an epidemic at the time of trans murders, no or blatantly transphobic and crappy coverage even from gay media about it, and we trans peeps were starting to forget the names of the deceased that dated back to the 70's.

That's why the TDOR was created. To memorialize the dead, ensure we didn't forget those people who were violently taken from us basically because they were living their trans lives, begin building a historical record that it was happening, create an event that would attract media coverage about the issue and give our allies a way to support us.

The event quickly went international because we live on all inhabited continents on this planet and anti-trans hate and violence is an international human rights issue.

While silicone pumping and the cis and trans people who die from it is a problematic issue that I have covered on these electronic pages since 2006, the fact remains that unlike a murder, the person who dies from silicone pumping, knows the potential risks of pumping, knows that people have died because of it, but still chose to do so.

The pumper may be charged with murder or a crime after the fact, but the pumper isn't forcing that person against their will to plunk down the money to undergo a procedure that they may not survive.

A silicone pumping death shouldn't be elevated to TDOR list recognition. Just as with suicide deaths, they are a separate category from trans people being murdered for who they are, and it is what the Transgender Day of Remembrance needs to continue to focus on.

The TDOR does not need to 'evolve' as I was told in that conversation I had with this particular activist, it is executing what it was designed to do.

So why mess with the success of the TDOR or attempt to alter its Prime Directive?

So no, silicone pumping deaths do not need to be counted in TDOR stats, nor should they be recognized at a TDOR event now or into the future.

“I thought they were the party of ‘family values.’ Show me where that’s true? Ripping families apart? I thought they were the party of ‘economic prosperity.’
Show me how that’s true, when we know from study after study that one
of the greatest things we can do for our economy and job creation is get
people out of the shadows so they can go buy a home and hold a good
job. They (Republicans) can’t or won’t pass an immigration bill. They will not do their job. So when the president steps in and does his job, they say, ‘Oh, this is terrible! Let’s shut down a totally unrelated department. The Department of Homeland Security.”-Sen. Barbara Boxer

Too bad Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is retiring in 2016.

She called out the Teapublicans in a blistering 20 minute floor speech that took them to task for the off the charts hatred of President Obama among other subjects that those of us sick of the GOP have long called their butts out for.

And yes, I have the video of Senator Boxer handling her US senate business. Enjoy the verbal smackdown she delivered.

As I like to say on these electronic pages, karma not only is a you know what, but she wears a dress and stiletto heels.

Right now I'm pondering the situation of seeing another one of Fallon Fox's loud and wrong transphobic critics get karma's high heeled foot planted squarely in the crack of her behind.

When we last heard about Ashlee Evans-Smith, she was basking in the afterglow of an upset win over my fave women's MMA warrior in the finals of a 2013 tournament and then being a sore winner about it, which Fallon called her out about later.

Evans-Smith parted her lips to say at the time that Fox should be barred from women's MMA because of 'unfair advantages'.

"I don't feel like Fallon should fight dudes," she said. "I don't feel
like she should fight women. I feel like there should be a unique
organization for those needs. She did have an advantage. She definitely
did."

Yep, you read that last sentence correctly. After her December 6 debut in a UFC 181 match that she lost in a first round submission to Raquel Pennington, Evans-Smith tested positive post match for the diuretic hydrochlorizide, which is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned substance list.

In addition to being fined 30% of her $8,000 purse, she is retroactively suspended from UFC competition for nine months. In addition, Evans-Smith will be required to submit to a Nevada Athletic Commission sanctioned drug test at her own expense before she can reapply for a license to fight in Nevada.

'Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history."Dr. Carter G. Woodson

I come from a family of historians that includes my late godmother Pearl Suel, who ran the Houston chapter of the Association For The Study Of Afro-American Life and History that Dr Woodson founded. The local chapter is named after her. As my mother and late father's high school history teacher, Ms Suel passed that love of history to my parents, and as their eldest child I was instilled with a deep love of my people's history and an insatiable curiosity to continue to seek it out.

One of the first questions I asked after my 1994 transition that wasn't gender related was, where is the history of African-American trans people? What did my forebears accomplish? What did they do to contribute to the advancement of trans human rights and knowledge of trans people while living their own complex trans lives?

These are questions that led me to seek out that history and eventually found TransGriot in 2006 as part of my ongoing effort to disseminate that history and tell the stories of trans people who share my ethnic background.

#WeExist., and what better time to point that unassailable fact out than during Black History Month?

In a community which is being ravaged right now by over 18 murders since June, it's comforting to know that one of the people who jumped off the Stonewall Riots in 1969 was a girl like us in Marsha P. Johnson. It's fantastic to note the story of African-American gender variant kids who 50 years ago this April launched the Dewey's Lunch Counter Sit In and Protest in Philadelphia to strike a blow against anti-trans discrimination.

Cant' forget that when the first all-trans performance of The Vagina Monologues happened in LA back in 2004, Valerie Spencer was part of it.

It's also wonderful to know that Black trans women rocking runways and photo shoots didn't start with Isis King or Arisce Wanzer, but Tracy Africa Norman who shot five ESSENCE magazine covers and had major print ad contracts in the late 70's and 80's.

It was also a revelation to find out via the Google Books online JET and EBONY electronic archives the first ever person that completed the now closed Johns Hopkins gender program was an African-American trans woman named Avon Wilson. It was also inspiring to read the story of Carlett Brown as she attempted in 1953 when the world's attention was focused on Christine Jorgenson to become the 'First Negro Sex Change'.

While we never found out if it happened for Carlett, we do know it did happen for Delisa Newton..

And yes, Black trans history also includes the stories of my trans
sisters across the African Diaspora like Audrey Mbugua of Kenya, and my
trans sisters of African heritage in Brazil, Great Britain, Canada, and
the Caribbean.

Black trans history is also vitally important to point out to cis Black people, our allies, and our detractors we not only exist, but our lives are part of the kente cloth fabric of the African-American community.

We also need to pass this history down so that it serves to inspire the next generation of trans kids who are following in our footsteps, and point out Black trans people have a legacy and possibility models they can be proud of..

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Sunday morning I made sure to get up and head over to the gayborhood for a bittersweet event.

It was the last Sunday service that Pastor Lura N. Groen would preside over as the head of Grace Lutheran Church.

She's been the pastor at Grace Lutheran since 2003, but I only met her last year during the fight to pass the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.

She knew yours truly through my writing on TransGriot and when we finally met, it was mutual admiration.

I love her as one of the progressive pastors in this city who is an unabashed drum majorette for justice, and that theme resonates in the numerous sermons she would preach during Grace's open and affirming services.

There was one humorous and touching moment during the service when Grace's choir sang a special version of 'Season Of Love' from the musical Rent

While Sunday was the last day she will preach at Grace Lutheran as their pastor, thankfully she will still be around H-town and in our progressive community lives.

She's taking a sabbatical and in addition to doing some reading and writing, will take on assorted ministry projects, doing some preaching around town along with officiating at some weddings and funerals as Grace begins the search for a new pastor to guide their church congregation.

Pastor Lura's presence will definitely be missed at Grace Lutheran, but I do wish her along with all who love and admire her nothing but success and abundant blessings as she continues her ongoing faith journey

Never underestimate the GOP's desire to hate on groups they don't like.

The Teapublican haters in the Senate Education Committee regrouped, waited until Sen. Gerald Neal (D-Louisville) and Sen. Julie Raque Adams (R-Louisville) were not in Frankfort, then called a snap meeting of the committee Monday night to revisit the issue.

And this time they also made sure they had the transphobes speaking in front of the committee

"I know of several girls at my school who are uncomfortable with my
school's policy but are afraid to speak out about it because they know
the school's not on their side and they're afraid of judgment by their
peers," Christina Kelty told reporters. "I thought those girls needed a voice."

Umm hmm. Being a transphobe and an oppression enabler should ALWAYS make you uncomfortable, Christina

The bill shadily passed out of committee 8-1 with the lone NO vote belonging to Sen. Reginald Thomas, D-Lexington, who is the other African-American senator on the committee.

He also said this reminded him of an era when white students were uncomfortable using the restroom with Black students

The unjust bill now advances to the floor of the Teapublican controlled Kentucky senate (26-12 GOP edge), where we'll see if they waste valuable time in this legislative session debating it instead of passing a state budget.

But alas, it seems as though the 21st century Republican Party always has time to pass unjust laws that enable bigotry and oppression instead of govern..

February 19th there was a memorial held for Kristina Gomez Reinwald AKA Kristina Grant Infiniti on an unseasonably chilly (for them) Miami night at the Torch of Friendship.

They had a nice turnout for the event, with Arianna Lint commenting on Spanish language TV and our glamorous sis Lauren Foster not only taking part in the event at the Torch of Friendship, also getting some media face time on our community's behalf on their local CBS station.

One thing that marred the ceremony was flyers passed out by the Miami-Dade PD seeking information in the case had an unflattering pic of Kristina and misgendered her.

Miami area trans peeps are on the case and doing the education with the local po-po's to let them know where they screwed up and ensure it doesn't happen again.

As for the search for justice for Kristina, her killer is unfortunately as of this writing still at large

Saw this trans themed Keep Calm poster and it inspired me to write this commentary about it.

Love your transgender friends because in some cases, you may be the only person in their lives who loves them unconditionally.

And how important is that unconditional love? In a world in which we turn on the TV, our smartphones or our laptops and hear the leader of one major world religion compare us to nuclear weapons, an almost weekly report of another transperson being killed somewhere on the planet, others claiming we're confused, politicians gleefully oppressing us, and having every jerk with a Facebook or Twitter account spouting their loud and wrong scientifically deficient opinions about us, nice to know that someone cares about us and wants us in their lives

So yeah, it ain't easy being trans, especially at a time in which when we are on the cusp of a human rights breakthrough and our legions of haters know it.

Some of us are so deeply wounded by all the negative stuff that has happened to us we will find it hard to accept that unconditional love at first. But keep holding those arms out to embrace and envelope us in that unconditional love anyway. Sooner or later we'll drop our guard and make the cautious moves to accept it.

Having people in our lives cis and trans who unconditionally love us is vitally important, and those of us who know the value of those friendships are deeply appreciative and thankful to have them.

And if you take the opportunity to love your trans friends, you'll be pleased to discover that it's a mutually beneficial experience.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Figured it wouldn't take long before our right wing idiots decided to not be left out of the hate on transpeople party.

It's also another example of what I continue to say in terms of the most dangerous bigot is the one with the power to write legislation.

Teapublican Rep. Debbie Riddle has just filed HB 1748, an odious bill that if it becomes law, would make it a class-A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in
jail and a maximum $4,000 fine for transgender people to use
"a locker room, shower facility, or toilet facility designated for use
by persons of a gender that is not the same gender as the individual’s
gender."

Damn Debbie, don't we have better things to spend our valuable Lone Start State legislative time on besides obsessing over what bathroom trans people use?

Riddle's HB 1748 would also make it a state jail felony punishable
by up to two years in prison and a maximum $10,000 fine for a building
manager to "repeatedly allow" a transgender person to use such a
facility according to their gender identity.

What's even more interesting is how this scientifically illiterate bill defines gender:

Hey Debbie, would love to see you lead by example and volunteer to do a chromosome test. I and every other Texas trans person would laugh our asses off if you came up anything but XX.

This caca is why my hatred of Republicans grows the older I get and with every legislative session they propose bills that repress everyone else except white conservative males.

I also get pissed off when some liberal progressive person stupidly says in my presence that voting is a waste of time. Sitting out elections is why this scientifically challenged person is in the Texas Legislature now.

Looks like a trip to Austin is coming soon. And Texas transpeeps, time for us to saddle up and become agents of our own liberation and fight this crappy (pun intended) bill.

But it also evidence that the trans human rights movement is winning if the best that conservative opponents can do is go back to recycled for the new millennium Jim Crow tactics and attempt to criminalize the bathrooms once again.

Another day, another panel discussion for me as I head this time to the University of Houston Downtown for one entitled 'Challenging Intersections: Exploring the Struggles and Triumphs of African-Americans in the LGBTQ Community(ies)'

The panel sponsored by Stand Out is another Black History Month event that will be a discussion about being Black and TBLGQ.

It will feature Fran Watson, Brandon Mack, Ashton Woods, and some blogger y'all may have heard of.

The panel will start at 3 PM and will be if you can attend it will be in room N420 on the UHD campus.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

The whitewashed Oscars ceremony gave me the opportunity to handle some more eagerly anticipated business by you loyal TransGriot readers

It's time to announce the five people or groups that will join the previous winners of the TransGriot Shut Up Fool Lifetime Achievement Awards.

I usually retire the winners of the SUF Lifetime Achievement Awards from future consideration for the weekly award, but some of the winners of it have continued to make asses of themselves to the point I have to call them out on it.

Okay, enough jibber-jabber, time to turn this over to our Shut Up Fool Awards mascot and reveal what fool, fools or group of fools become members of the Shut Up Fool Awards class of 2015.

The envelope please:

The 2015 Winners of the TransGriot Shut Up Fool of the Year Award are:

Dinesh D'SouzaRudy GiulianiPhyllis SchaflySpeaker John Boehner (R-OH)Pastor James David Manning

So let's get busy calling out this week's cavalcade of fool, fools or group of fools.

Honorable mention number one is to the still unknown idiots who held up the WHITE POWER signs at the Flower Mound-Plano East HS basketball game.

You're going to make fine future Republicans. Hopefully the LISD will find you and you'll be learning the lesson of taking personal responsibility for your reprehensible behavior.that has given your school a (pun intended) national black eye.

Honorable mention number two is Charles Barkley for cooning it up and saying a series of stupid stuff that will probably guarantee him an appearance at the 2016 Republican Convention next to Stacey Dash, and Dr Ben Carson.

Honorable mention number three is Dinesh D'Souza for his racist attacks on President Obama. You can take the conservafool convicted felon out of India, but.....

Honorable mention number four is a group one we go across The Pond for. It's for all the nekulturny Chelsea soccer fans who while in Paris for a Euroleague match involving their beloved club thought they were back in England, reverted to their racist hooligan roots and refused to let Black Parisians on their own subway trains while proudly singing 'we're racist and that's the way we like it.'.

Unfortunately for them FIFA has a Say No To Racism campaign that is striving to eradicate it from the sport. The cool thing is the Chelsea Football Club swiftly condemned their fans for their behavior, and will permanently ban those people deemed responsible with lifetime ticket sales bans.

Honorable mention number five is Pope Francis, who did his Pope Benedict impression and compared trans people to nuclear weapons mere weeks after inviting a trans man to the Pope Palace, for a private gathering

Honorable mention number six is Nevada state legislator Michelle Fiore (R) who said while trying to rationalize her bill allowing guns on college campuses, "Hot little girls on campus need guns to prevent rape."

And this is what happens when you get GOP controlled legislatures.

Honorable mention number seven is Rudy '9-11' Giuliani, who let loose with a series of racist comments aimed at President Obama, then when the backlash started to hit him tried to claim his comments weren't racist because ' Obama has a white mother.'

Seriously? Rudy, sit your old drag queen ass down and have several sections of seats in Yankee Stadium for even parting your lips to say that weak azz BS.

Honorable mention number eight is FOX Noise commentator Erick Erickson, who combined Islamophobia and homophobia in one comment when he parted his lips to compare gay activists to ISIS

Dude, I be careful who I slut shame when your own wife rose to fame by releasing a sex tape with Brandy's little brother and was with multiple partner before you got to cop a feel on her fake cakes on a regular basis.

Honorable mention number ten is Pamela Gellar, who is pouring gasoline on the racist Islamophobic hate being stirred up in conservafool ranks in Texas by organizing a contest to draw the Prophet Muhammad.

I repeat, what is it about you white conservafools? Do you have a deep seated need to racistly oppress people?

This week's Shut Up Fool is Roosh Vorek

This misogynist fool had the nerve to suggest on his website popular with the MRA (men's rights activist) crowd that the solution to the rape crisis was to 'decriminalize rape on private property.'

WTF? Guess you want to ensure your only female companionship from now on will be with blowup dolls.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Received some wonderful and surprising news earlier today from my old Kentucky stomping grounds that had me happy dancing in my place after I heard it.

It's also a major reason why if you're able to do so, LGBT peeps need to be staying in red states to fight the hate and not running to some so-called coastal LGBT oasis that seems to have green human rights grass that at closer inspection is Astroturfed.

SB 76, the Bathroom Bounty Bill that Sen. CM Embry (R) filed at the behest of long time Kentucky homobigot Kent Ostrander of the Kentucky Family Foundation, died in spectacular bipartisan fashion in the GOP dominated Senate Education Committee.

If Embry's unjust SB 76 had passed and been signed into law (doubtful with a Democratic House and Democratic governor), it would have mandated that Kentucky schools provide separate, private areas designated for use by students based on
their genitalia where students could be in a "state of undress."
The bill proposed allowing students to sue
their school for up to $2,500 each time they saw a student who appeared
to have a non-matching gender presentation in a facility "designated
for use by the cisgender biological sex of the aggrieved student.”

Embry tried to make this unjust legislative pig more palatable before the hearing by offering an amendment to strip out the bounty language. But the 'Bathroom Bounty Bill' as it was dubbed by opponents, was fought by the Fairness Campaign and other interested parties who braved the frigid below freezing temps to make the trek to Frankfort for the hearing that started at noon EST.

People testifying against the bill included Atherton HS principal Tom Aberli and trans teen Henry Brousseau . He told the Huffington Post in an interview he was harassed in restrooms until he was allowed to use the men's room. Once that happened, there have been no issues.

“A lot of folks think that having a separate and private restroom for
trans kids is the way to go,” said Brousseau during his Senate committee testimony, “While that might work
for some, when somebody tells us that we’re so different that the only
way to accommodate us is to create a special restroom, the message is
clear that we don’t belong. But the thing is, right now schools get to
make their own decisions about what’s best to accommodate trans kids,
and every school may decide differently. The problem with this bill is
it would take away that right for schools to decide.”

Aberli said in his senate testimony that he and others at Atherton were forced to educate
themselves about an issue they previously knew little about, and that
the state should not take away their authority to do what they think is
right.

“What I quickly found was that this is an issue of respecting people
for who they are,” said Aberli. “I’m going to boil it down: This is a
civil rights issue.”

The unjust bill died a painful death (at least in the opinion of the KY Family Foundation) in the Republican controlled committee, falling one vote short of being passed out of it.

Six Republican members voted for it, while Sen Julie Raque Adams (R-Louisville) voted NO with the two African-American Democratic senators Neal and Thomas with no explanation for her vote.

Senator Johnny Ray Turner's (D-Prestonburg) decision to abstain left the unjust bill one vote short of passage to the full Republican controlled Kentucky Senate, where they have a 26-12 edge.

Bills need seven votes to be passed out of committee.

So proud of my former senator, Gerald Neal (D-Louisville), who voted against the bill, telling
Brousseau: “Unfortunately, your situation is still subject to the fear,
ignorance and loathing that results there from something that some
individuals see as different from what they understand and what they
embrace.”

That's our point, America. We're tired of you haters trying to pick on trans people for right wing political game and to satisfy your oppression gene. Let us trans people pee ,have human rights coverage and leave us the hell alone to live our lives..

And stop obsessing over what fracking bathroom we use when we need to handle a basic biological function.

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About The TransGriot

Monica Roberts, AKA the TransGriot (Gree-oh) is a native Houstonian, GLAAD award nominated blogger, writer, and award winning trans human rights advocate. She's the founding editor of TransGriot, and her writing has appeared at the Bilerico Project, Ebony.com, The Huffington Post and the Advocate.
She works to foster understanding and acceptance of trans people inside and outside communities of color and was recently honored with the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award

TransGriot Blog Mission Statement

The TransGriot blog's mission is to become the griot of our community. I will introduce you to and talk about your African descended trans brothers and trans sisters across the Diaspora, reclaim and document our chocolate flavored trans history, speak truth to power, comment on the things that impact our trans community from an Afrocentric perspective and enlighten you about the general things that go on around me and in the communities that I am a member of.

--Mission Statement compiled January 2, 2011

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